Blood clot risk from Covid infection ‘eight times higher’ than from Astrazeneca vaccine April 15, 2021 The risk of developing a blood clot from catching coronavirus is eight times higher than after being given the Astrazeneca vaccine, according to a new study by the University of Oxford. Scientists found that cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) occurred in 39 per million coronavirus patients, compared with around 5 per million people given the Astrazeneca jab. In the [...]
London businesses demand return of the Night Tube amid delay until 2022 April 15, 2021 London businesses have demanded the resumption of the Night Tube after Transport for London (TfL) said earlier this week the service will not return until at least 2022. Andy Byford, the transport commissioner for London, said the capital’s struggling transport body lacked the resources to reinstate all-night Friday and Saturday services on the Victoria, Jubilee, Central, Northern, [...]
Airbnb blocks 80,000 UK bookings in party crackdown ahead of lockdown easing April 15, 2021 Airbnb has rejected almost 80,000 bookings in the UK as the home-sharing firm attempts to clamp down on end-of-lockdown parties. The company has made use of a feature first introduced in August last year which automatically prevents customers under the age of 25 reserving entire homes if they have fewer than three positive reviews. Use [...]
Financial services optimism rebounds at fastest rate in eight years April 15, 2021 Optimism within the financial services sector has increased at the fastest rate in eight years as the economy begins to reopen from months of lockdown, a new survey has shown. Sentiment among finance firms rose 52 per cent in the three months to March, according to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and PwC’s latest [...]
Prime Minister’s deputy chief of staff faces conflict of interest accusations April 14, 2021 Boris Johnson’s deputy chief of staff is facing accusations of a potential conflict of interest amid a lobbying scandal that has engulfed the Conservative party. Baroness Finn, who was appointed to her role in February, holds a 35 per cent stake in a company that advises governments including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kazakhstan. FMAP Limited [...]
Number 10 defends taxpayer-funded vaccine film April 14, 2021 Number 10 has defended the production of a taxpayer-funded film documenting the UK’s “extraordinary” vaccine rollout, insisting it was produced in-house and within departmental budgets. The trailer for A Beacon Of Hope: The UK Vaccine Story was released more than four weeks ago, with the full version billed as “coming soon”. The 30-minute film was originally [...]
Government faces backlash over compulsory Covid vaccines for care home staff April 14, 2021 Ministers have been accused of using care home staff as “guinea pigs” for forced vaccinations after the government today opened a consultation on whether to make compulsory Covid jabs part of their work contracts. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said it would take evidence over a five-week period on whether staff should [...]
EU ‘will not renew’ Covid vaccine contracts with Astrazeneca and Johnson & Johnson April 14, 2021 The European Commission will not renew Covid vaccine contracts with Astrazeneca and Johnson & Johnson beyond their current expiry dates, according to Italian media reports. The EU will instead prioritise contracts with pharmaceutical companies that produce mRNA vaccines such as Moderna and Pfizer, Italian newspaper La Stampa reported. “The European Commission, in agreement with the [...]
Surge testing for South Africa Covid variant extended to Finchley, Barnet April 14, 2021 Surge testing is set to take place in the London borough of Barnet after one further case of the South Africa Covid variant was detected. Health officials will launch targeted testing for certain households in the Finchley area from tomorrow. People living in the N3 postcode and those who shop on the local high street [...]
No jab no job: Care home staff face compulsory Covid vaccinations April 14, 2021 Care home staff in England may face compulsory vaccination against Covid to prevent residents from catching the disease, the government has announced. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has launched a five-week consultation on the plans, which would see staff forced to receive a Covid jab as a condition of working in care [...]
